Matthew 5:3-5 Luke 6:20
Humility is the key to happiness and the cornerstone of Christ-like
character. Unfortunately, humility is
one of those qualities that does not come naturally to us. Pride seems to sprout up in our hearts like
weeds in a garden because it is simply the natural tendency of fallen man. It seems logical to us that happiness comes
from the pursuit of our own interests; but nothing could be further from the
truth. Selfishness always leads to
guilt, broken relationships and pain.
There are many different facets to humility and the first three
beatitudes present humility from different perspectives. These are all paradoxical statements. A paradox is something that takes us by
surprise or presents truth in a way that is opposite of what we naturally
think. “Happy are the humble” seems like
a paradox to us but it is pure truth. If
we are going to develop humility in our lives it is vital that we open our
minds and hearts to a completely different way of thinking. We need to try to order our lives according
to these three paradoxes if we want to experience true and lasting happiness. All these statements look to an eternal
future. They all include the word:
“will.” That is not to say that humility
does not have immediate benefits, it just means that there is an eternal aspect
to humility.
THE POOR WILL PROSPER:
Poverty and prosperity are clearly antonyms in our minds. However, it is important for us to note that
Jesus is not speaking of financial poverty in this passage. To be “poor in spirit” has much more to do
with spiritual poverty than a lack of money.
Jesus is teaching us that humility starts with recognizing our own
sinfulness and a desperate dependence on the Lord. Proud people think they are better than
others and worthy of their own salvation.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear that the kingdom of heaven belongs to
the humble. As long as we think we can
earn our own salvation we are excluded from the kingdom of heaven. Salvations starts with the recognition of our
own sinfulness. When we recognize our
own spiritual bankruptcy, we cast ourselves before the Father with the cross of
Christ as our only source of hope. Being
poor in spirit simply means to see ourselves as sinful and assume
responsibility for that sin. Our
tendency is to try to justify our sin, make excuses for our sin, blame others
for our sin or simply deny our sin altogether.
This kind of pride produces spiritual poverty, constant conflict on hear
on earth and eternal condemnation before God.
Salvation and forgiveness are only available to those who recognize
their sin and depend solely on God’s gracious provision through the death and
resurrection of Jesus. There is no
happiness now or in eternity apart from spiritual poverty. Those who humbly bow before God, acutely
aware of their inability to save themselves and place their faith in the cross
of Christ as their only hope for salvation; will experience the relief of
forgiveness and reward of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
THE CRIERS WILL BE COMFORTED: It is impossible for us to
frown and smile at the same time. But it
is possible that crying now can lead to laughing later. The second aspect to the humility that brings
eternal happiness is to mourn over our sin.
Recognizing our sinful condition is a good and necessary first step but
it must be accompanied by mourning. It
is one thing to know about our sin but the point Jesus wants to make here is
that our hearts need to break because of this recognition. It is possible for us to recognize that we
are sinful but still love our sin so much that we are not willing to turn from
it in repentance. God wants us to
realize that we are sinful as well as recognize how much our sin displeases God
to the point that we mourn over our sin.
The word mourn is actually much stronger than sadness. People mourn when a loved one dies. The idea is that of a person who is weeping
over their sinful condition. Most people
treat sin with a flippant attitude and don’t see it as being a big deal. These people will experience great affliction
when God judges mankind. However, those
who have a godly sorrow over their sin that leads them to repentance will be
comforted. We are all afflicted by sin
and should have a broken heart as we consider the way that sin separates us
from the Father. God promises to comfort
those broken hearts in the forgiveness that Jesus bought with His blood. His suffering gives us hope, comfort and
eternal joy.
THE TENDER WILL TRIUMPH: Meekness and weakness are not the
same thing. Meekness is another aspect
of humility that follows the recognition of sin as well as repentance from
sin. Those who are aware of their sin
will not be proud or brash or self-promoting; they will be meek, gentle and
tender hearted. The religious leaders
surrounding Jesus were looking for a political power that would rebel against
Roman rule and establish e Jewish kingdom in which Israel would assume
leadership over the world. The Jews had
been oppressed since the time of the captivity.
They were anxious to take center stage but meekness and gentleness were
not what they had in mind. The idea of
meekness is power that is under control so it is productive and not
destructive. A well-trained horse is a
good illustration of meekness. It is a
powerful animal but it is submissive and under the direction of its owner so
all that power is being put to good use.
We will only find true happiness as we submit to the control of God over
our lives. Our wills must be placed into
subjection to His will. His love for
others must be reflected in our treatment of others. There is no place for being mean spirited or
vengeful in the kingdom of God. He will give
the earth as an inheritance to the kind, loving and gentle people who serve
others in a spirit of humility. Jesus
came to serve and He calls us to serve others.
God has promised to exalt and give grace to the humble. As believes, we should not try to scratch and
claw our way to the top without regard for others. The way to happiness and inheritance is by
gently and humbly serving those who are around us. It is what Jesus did and He calls us to
follow His example.
APPLICATION: Don’t make excuses for, justify or pass the
blame for our sin. Recognize our
failures and sinfulness and use that recognition as incentive to depend on the
Lord Jesus to set us free from sin. Be
broken hearted over our sinful condition.
See our sin from the eyes of God and understand how His heart is grieved
over the sin in our lives. Turn from sin
and rejoice in the forgiveness available through faith in Christ. Love and serve others with a gentle
spirit. Humbly allow God to direct our
bodies, minds and mouths so we will be gracious and kind as we serve the Lord.
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